Roast eggplant with native succulents and macadamia cream
Servings 2
Course Main Course
Preference Vegetarian
Perfect for Entertaining
Skill level Moderate
Roast eggplant
- 1 eggplant halved and scored
- 1/4 cup cooked jasmine rice warmed through
- 1 heaped teaspoon macadamia pieces roasted and salted (about 10g)
- 1 heaped teaspoon native currants (or regular currants)
- 1 heaped teaspoon muntries* (omit if not available)
- 1 heaped teaspoon sunflower seeds
- Squeeze of lemon juice
- Splash of olive oil
- Sea salt
Macadamia cream
- 50 grams macadamia spread/butter
- 50 grams warm water
- Pinch salt
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
To serve
- Fresh coriander, dill, mint, sea parsley and karkalla**
Heat a fry pan with olive oil and bring to a high heat. Place the eggplant, score side down, in the pan and cook until caramelised. Then place the eggplant in a hot oven and cook through (8-10 minutes) until soft and tender.
Carefully scrape the cooked eggplant flesh into a bowl, draining away any excess moisture. Stir through the rice, macadamias, currants, muntries and sunflower seeds. Season with lemon juice and olive oil. Taste and add salt as required.
Prepare the macadamia cream by blending all ingredients together in a food processor until smooth.
To serve, dress the plate with macadamia cream. Return eggplant mixture to eggplant skin and dress liberally with fresh herbs and native succulents. Serve immediately.
*Muntries are small white native fruits, reminiscent of blueberries. The Australian Native Food Industry Food Limited describes the fruit as tasting like “apple with a juniper essence, a spicy apple taste”.
**Karkalla is a native succulent also known as pigface. It grows among sand dunes and on cliff faces around the Australian coastline. It is light and salty with a juicy crunch. Cultivated karkalla can be found at farmers markets and select greengrocers.
Calories: 334kcalCarbohydrates: 24gProtein: 5gFat: 27gSaturated Fat: 4gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 20gSodium: 8mgPotassium: 640mgFiber: 9gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 54IUVitamin C: 8mgCalcium: 46mgIron: 2mg